Beginning Australopithecus, which emerged in Africa, early hominids gradually evolved into species recognizable as our direct ancestors. Homo erectus, which appeared around 2 million years ago, was the first early human species to leave Africa and enter the Eurasian continent. Homo neanderthalensis lived in Europe and the Near East from 300,000 to until 40,000 years ago, coexisting with Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens, our direct ancestor, emerged around 300,000-200,000 years ago and spread globally to regions beyond Africa around 60,000-40,000 years ago.
With each new fossil discovery, our knowledge of hominins continues to grow.